the six enneads-第58章

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　indetermination；　but　within　a　form；　they　were　undetermined　not　utterly　but　only　in　contrast　with　their　perfect　state：　at　this　extreme　point　we　have　the　utter　lack　of　determination。　Let　it　be　raised　to　its　highest　degree　and　it　becomes　body　by　taking　such　shape　as　serves　its　scope；　then　it　becomes　the　recipient　of　its　author　and　sustainer：　this　presence　in　body　is　the　only　example　of　the　boundaries　of　Higher　Existents　running　into　the　boundary　of　the　Lower。　　　　　2。　It　is　of　this　Soul　especially　that　we　read　〃All　Soul　has　care　for　the　Soulless〃…　though　the　several　Souls　thus　care　in　their　own　degree　and　way。　The　passage　continues…　〃Soul　passes　through　the　entire　heavens　in　forms　varying　with　the　variety　of　place〃…　the　sensitive　form；　the　reasoning　form；　even　the　vegetative　form…　and　this　means　that　in　each　〃place〃　the　phase　of　the　soul　there　dominant　carries　out　its　own　ends　while　the　rest；　not　present　there；　is　idle。　　　　　Now；　in　humanity　the　lower　is　not　supreme；　it　is　an　accompaniment；　but　neither　does　the　better　rule　unfailingly；　the　lower　element　also　has　a　footing；　and　Man；　therefore；　lives　in　part　under　sensation；　for　he　has　the　organs　of　sensation；　and　in　large　part　even　by　the　merely　vegetative　principle；　for　the　body　grows　and　propagates：　all　the　graded　phases　are　in　a　collaboration；　but　the　entire　form；　man；　takes　rank　by　the　dominant；　and　when　the　life…principle　leaves　the　body　it　is　what　it　is；　what　it　most　intensely　lived。　　　　　This　is　why　we　must　break　away　towards　the　High：　we　dare　not　keep　ourselves　set　towards　the　sensuous　principle；　following　the　images　of　sense；　or　towards　the　merely　vegetative；　intent　upon　the　gratifications　of　eating　and　procreation；　our　life　must　be　pointed　towards　the　Intellective；　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　towards　God。　　　　　Those　that　have　maintained　the　human　level　are　men　once　more。　Those　that　have　lived　wholly　to　sense　become　animals…　corresponding　in　species　to　the　particular　temper　of　the　life…　ferocious　animals　where　the　sensuality　has　been　accompanied　by　a　certain　measure　of　spirit；　gluttonous　and　lascivious　animals　where　all　has　been　appetite　and　satiation　of　appetite。　Those　who　in　their　pleasures　have　not　even　lived　by　sensation；　but　have　gone　their　way　in　a　torpid　grossness　become　mere　growing　things；　for　this　lethargy　is　the　entire　act　of　the　vegetative；　and　such　men　have　been　busy　be…treeing　themselves。　Those；　we　read；　that；　otherwise　untainted；　have　loved　song　become　vocal　animals；　kings　ruling　unreasonably　but　with　no　other　vice　are　eagles；　futile　and　flighty　visionaries　ever　soaring　skyward；　become　highflying　birds；　observance　of　civic　and　secular　virtue　makes　man　again；　or　where　the　merit　is　less　marked；　one　of　the　animals　of　communal　tendency；　a　bee　or　the　like。　　　　　3。　What；　then；　is　the　spirit　＇guiding　the　present　life　and　determining　the　future＇？　　　　　The　Spirit　of　here　and　now。　　　　　And　the　God？　　　　　The　God　of　here　and　now。　　　　　Spirit；　God；　This　in　act　within　us；　conducts　every　life；　for；　even　here　and　now；　it　is　the　dominant　of　our　Nature。　　　　　That　is　to　say　that　the　dominant　is　the　spirit　which　takes　possession　of　the　human　being　at　birth？　　　　　No：　the　dominant　is　the　Prior　of　the　individual　spirit；　it　presides　inoperative　while　its　secondary　acts：　so　that　if　the　acting　force　is　that　of　men　of　the　sense…life；　the　tutelary　spirit　is　the　Rational　Being；　while　if　we　live　by　that　Rational　Being；　our　tutelary　Spirit　is　the　still　higher　Being；　not　directly　operative　but　assenting　to　the　working　principle。　The　words　〃You　shall　yourselves　choose〃　are　true；　then；　for　by　our　life　we　elect　our　own　loftier。　　　　　But　how　does　this　spirit　come　to　be　the　determinant　of　our　fate？　　　　　It　is　not　when　the　life　is　ended　that　it　conducts　us　here　or　there；　it　operates　during　the　lifetime；　when　we　cease　to　live；　our　death　hands　over　to　another　principle　this　energy　of　our　own　personal　career。　　　　　That　principle　＇of　the　new　birth＇　strives　to　gain　control；　and　if　it　succeeds　it　also　lives　and　itself；　in　turn；　possesses　a　guiding　spirit　＇its　next　higher＇：　if　on　the　contrary　it　is　weighed　down　by　the　developed　evil　in　the　character；　the　spirit　of　the　previous　life　pays　the　penalty：　the　evil…liver　loses　grade　because　during　his　life　the　active　principle　of　his　being　took　the　tilt　towards　the　brute　by　force　of　affinity。　If；　on　the　contrary；　the　Man　is　able　to　follow　the　leading　of　his　higher　Spirit；　he　rises：　he　lives　that　Spirit；　that　noblest　part　of　himself　to　which　he　is　being　led　becomes　sovereign　in　his　life；　this　made　his　own；　he　works　for　the　next　above　until　he　has　attained　the　height。　　　　　For　the　Soul　is　many　things；　is　all；　is　the　Above　and　the　Beneath　to　the　totality　of　life：　and　each　of　us　is　an　Intellectual　Kosmos；　linked　to　this　world　by　what　is　lowest　in　us；　but；　by　what　is　the　highest；　to　the　Divine　Intellect：　by　all　that　is　intellective　we　are　permanently　in　that　higher　realm；　but　at　the　fringe　of　the　Intellectual　we　are　fettered　to　the　lower；　it　is　as　if　we　gave　forth　from　it　some　emanation　towards　that　lower；　or；　rather　some　Act；　which　however　leaves　our　diviner　part　not　in　itself　diminished。　　　　　4。　But　is　this　lower　extremity　of　our　intellective　phase　fettered　to　body　for　ever？　　　　　No：　if　we　turn；　this　turns　by　the　same　act。　　　　　And　the　Soul　of　the　All…　are　we　to　think　that　when　it　turns　from　this　sphere　its　lower　phase　similarly　withdraws？　　　　　No：　for　it　never　accompanied　that　lower　phase　of　itself；　it　never　knew　any　coming；　and　therefore　never　came　down；　it　remains　unmoved　above；　and　the　material　frame　of　the　Universe　draws　close　to　it；　and；　as　it　were；　takes　light　from　it；　no　hindrance　to　it；　in　no　way　troubling　it；　simply　lying　unmoved　before　it。　　　　　But　has　the　Universe；　then；　no　sensation？　〃It　has　no　Sight；〃　we　read；　since　it　has　no　eyes；　and　obviously　it　has　not　ears；　nostrils；　or　tongue。　Then　has　it　perhaps　such　a　consciousness　as　we　have　of　our　own　inner　conditions？　　　　　No：　where　all　is　the　working　out　of　one　nature；　there　is　nothing　but　still　rest；　there　is　not　even　enjoyment。　Sensibility　is　present　as　the　quality　of　growth　is；　unrecognized。　But　the　Nature　of　the　World　will　be　found　treated　elsewhere；　what　stands　here　is　all　that　the　question　of　the　moment　demands。　　　　　5。　But　if　the　presiding　Spirit　and　the　conditions　of　life　are　chosen　by　the　Soul　in　the　overworld；　how　can　anything　be　left　to　our　independent　action　here？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　very　choice　in　the　over…world　is　merely　an　allegorical　statement　of　the　Soul's　tendency　and　temperament；　a　total　character　which　it　must　express　wherever　it　operates。　　　　　But　if　the　tendency　of　the　Soul　is　the　master…force　and；　in　the　Soul；　the　dominant　is　that　phase　which　has　been　brought　to　the　fore　by　a　previous　history；　then　the　body　stands　acquitted　of　any　bad　influence　upon　it？　The　Soul's　quality　exists　before　any　bodily　life；　it　has　exactly　what　it　chose　to　have；　and；　we　read；　it　never　changes　its　chosen　spirit；　therefore　neither　the　good　man　nor　the　bad　is　the　product　of　this　life？　　　　　Is　the　solution；　perhaps；　that　man　is　potentially　both　good　and　bad　but　becomes　the　one　or　the　other　by　force　of　act？　　　　　But　what　if　a　man　temperamentally　good　happens　to　enter　a　disordered　body；　or　if　a　perfect　body　falls　to　a　man　naturally　vicious？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　the　Soul；　to　whichever　side　it　inclines；　has　in　some　varying　degree　the　power　of　working　the　forms　of　body　over　to　its　own　temper；　since　outlying　and　accidental　circumstances　cannot　overrule　the　entire　decision　of　a　Soul。　Where　we　read　that；　after　the　casting　of　lots；　the　sample　lives　are　exhibited　with　the　casual　circumstances　attending　them　and　that　the　choice　is　made　upon　vision；　in　accordance　with　the　individual　temperament；　we　are　given　to　understand　that　the　real　determination　lies　with　the　Souls；　who　adapt　the　allotted　conditions　to　their　own　particular　quality。　　　　　The　Timaeus　indicates　the　relation　of　this　guiding　spirit　to　ourselves：　it　is　not　entirely　outside　of　ourselves；　is　not　bound　up　with　our　nature；　is　not　the　agent　in　our　action；　it　belongs　to　us　as　belonging　to　our　Soul；　but　not　in　so　far　as　we　are　particular　human　beings　living　a　life　to　which　it　is　superior：　take　the　passage　in　this　sense　and　it　is　consistent；　understand　this　Spirit　otherwise　and　the